Four hugely talented musicians from Thornton Heath have been picked to perform as part of a prestigious musical project.

Croydon Composers is the pioneering cross-genre musical project founded by Croydon-based Drum the Bass Productions.  

Sixteen musicians have been chosen out of hundreds of hopefuls to perform new work – which they’ll write together in pairs – at the Oval Tavern in Croydon on November 3 and at Boxpark Croydon on December 2.

Mitra Djalili is a jazz singer, actress and songwriter who performed at the Thornton Heath Light festival in January – Mitra’s songs combine jazz and R’n’B with contemporary music – she’ll be writing a new song with the wordsmith Unorthodox Kings.

“It’s  a fantastic opportunity to meet other musicians who I wouldn’t normally meet – me and UKings are having a great time writing new material for the gigs – I’m really excited!”

Singer/songwriter Dédé Davi says: “I’ve already learned so much!  I’m paired with Indian singer Rajesh and I’m learning about the difference between eastern and western music. 

“To mix Tamil and English to create something that we can both sing comfortably so that the audience can connect with us is a really exciting challenge – I can’t wait for the performances in November and December!”

Stush, a graduate of the BRIT School in Croydon, has been dubbed ‘The First Lady of British Dancehall’ – she’s one of the most successful artists to have emerged from Britain’s underground scene.  Stush will be writing and performing with Croydon Composers co-founder, the brilliant award-winning bassist and composer Shri Sriram.  Shri is also pairing up with hip-hop/soul singer Cyan.